The present invention relates to the field of display devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of control of a display device via a user interface.
Conventionally, a computer system provides video signals to a display device associated with the computer system. A user interface is typically provided to adjust parameters for the display device, such as brightness, contrast, horizontal orientation, horizontal size, vertical orientation, vertical size, tilt, pincushion, and color tint. The user interface is typically provided by the display device and includes controls located directly on a housing for the display device which can be used to adjust the display parameters. The controls are typically rheostat dials or push-button switches which are located at the bottom or side of the display housing and connected to circuitry located within the display housing.
In the case of push-buttons, the circuitry within the display housing typically includes an on-screen display circuit (OSD). The OSD receives input from the push-buttons and, in response, generates graphics and text which overlay any image provided on the display screen by the computer system. The various parameters for the display device are selected and adjusted by further pressing of the push-buttons. To minimize its cost, the OSD typically has limited processing capacity and speed. As a result, the graphics and text provided by the OSD tend to be of relatively low resolution. In addition, the number of push-button switches is typically limited for aesthetic purposes and to minimize their cost. As a result, each push-button may be assigned multiple functions. This, however, requires that the push-buttons be manipulated in specific sequences to perform the adjustments. Accordingly, conventional user interfaces provided to adjust the parameters of a display device tend to be confusing to use.
Parameters relating to the video signals themselves are typically adjusted through a user interface provided by the computer system. Parameters adjusted by this interface may include, for example, a delay time for invoking screen-saver graphics, a number of bits to be utilized for representing various colors (e.g., the color palette), display area and monitor type. This user interface provided by the computer system is in addition to, and separate from, the user interface provided by the display device.
The user interface provided by the computer system is typically accessed through the computer system""s xe2x80x9ccontrol panel.xe2x80x9d When the xe2x80x9ccontrol panelxe2x80x9d is invoked by a user, the computer system provides the user interface by which the user may adjust parameters for the video signals. This is generally accomplished by the user manipulating graphic elements displayed on the display device via input from the user which is typically provided by a keyboard or mouse. This user interface, however, only affects the video signals provided by the computer system and does not provide an ability to adjust any parameters of the display device.
Therefore, what is needed is a user interface for controlling a display device and for adjusting display parameters which does not suffer from the drawbacks of prior user interfaces. It is this end that the present invention is directed.
The present invention provides a user interface for control of a display device. The invention provides improved graphics to be displayed by the display device for use in making adjustments to parameters of the display device without significant increases in cost. Rather, because the graphics for the user interface may be provided to the display device by a computer system coupled to the display device, an on-screen display circuit (OSD) may be omitted from the display device. Further, the invention allows parameters for the display device to be adjusted by a user manipulating graphic elements via an input device for the computer system, such as a keyboard or mouse. Thus, the invention provides that rheostat dials or push-button switches may be omitted from the display device. Accordingly, the present invention provides a user interface having improved graphics and lower cost and which is less confusing to use than conventional user interfaces.
In one aspect, a method and apparatus provide a user interface for control of a display device. A video signal is provided to a display device and a graphic image is displayed by the display device. The video signal may be provided to the display device by a host computer system coupled to the display device. Input to the host computer system is received by a user manipulating the graphic image via an input device. The host computer system responds to the input by communicating a command to the display device. The command is for adjusting a parameter of the display device.
In another aspect, a display device is provided including a display monitor and a display controller coupled to the display monitor. The display monitor displays a graphic image provided to the display monitor by a host computer system. The display controller receives a command from the host computer system for adjusting a parameter of the display monitor, where the command is in response to input to the host computer system from a user. The input to the host computer may be by the user manipulating the graphic image via the host computer.
The graphic image may include one or more of: a task window which provides a graphic menu; a graphic representation of the parameter, the graphic representation changing in response to said input by the user; a sliding scale; and a numeric value. The command may be communicated via a data sequence sent to the display device by the host computer system. The data sequence may be encoded onto the video signal, the video signal being sent to the display device by the host computer system. The command may be communicated via a digital protocol which provides for uni-directional communication from the host computer system to the display device. Further, the command may be communicated via a digital protocol which provides for bi-directional communication. The digital protocol may be an I2C protocol. The command may be communicated to the display device via a DCC2B interface. The input device may be one or more of: a cursor control device coupled to the computer system; and a keyboard coupled to the computer system. The parameter may be selected from a group consisting of: brightness, contrast, horizontal orientation, horizontal size, vertical orientation, vertical size, tilt, pincushion, and color tint for the display.